Good morning and welcome to Chaos Theory of Writing. Today’s guest, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Boyle, reveals The Plan, a device developed by Elizabeth’s husband to help her set attainable goals. I heard about The Plan for the first time while listening to an RWA conference CD. It seemed like a perfect topic for RU. A huge thanks to Elizabeth for sharing her process with us.
Elizabeth, welcome to RU!
The Plan
First of all, let me be clear, what I am about to share with you will not make you a faster writer, nor will it produce pages while you are off checking Facebook or Tweeting. What it will do is identify your average, best writing pace and make you accountable for your time.
Getting to The Plan
To understand where I got all this and why I sound like some corporate bean counting drone is because I am married to one. My husband is a project planner and does process evaluation for a living. Plus, he’s an engineer by training. Need I say more? No, I didn’t think so.
About five years ago, I got offered a chance for back to back publication if, (and here is the big “If”,) I could get both books turned in with a very tight production time. Of course, I was all for jumping into the deal head first, but over dinner out one night, as I excitedly bragged of all the great things that would happen with a back to back publication, my husband stopped me and asked one very simple question:
Can you do it?
My first reaction was, “well of course, yes.” But then he pressed further, as he does in his professional life, to ensure that projects can come in on time, on budget and without driving everyone nuts, and I realized that I couldn’t answer a single one of his questions accurately.
Take the Quiz
Let’s see how you do:
- Do you know how many pages you write an hour?
- Do you make your weekly page counts?
- Do you have weekly page counts?
- Can you make deadlines consistently?
- At deadlines, is your life stress free?
If you answered all of them with gold stars, you can go get a latte. For the other 99% of us, let’s explore why authors tend to fictionalize not only their works, but also the very mechanics of their storytelling. Or rather the myths we tell ourselves that reinforce bad habits, and worse, support a false belief system.
Writer’s Myths
What I did give him that night were the myths I’d surrounded myself with when it came to my writing pace and production abilities. Here are some of my classics:
“I work faster at Starbucks.”
“I write the last half faster.”
“I sail through my second draft.”
If asked when I would be finished, my stock answer was always, “I’m close.” When pressed a month later, it would be, “I’m really close.”
Then around deadline time, the lie would come screeching out of my mouth, “I promise not to chew off your heads next deadline” while my poor traumatized family gaped at the monster I’d become.
Oh, and the one that’s professional suicide, “It’s okay to ask for an extension.”
Any of these sound familiar?
Terry’s Plan
But still, he pressed. How could I do this when I hadn’t given him anything concrete? And I knew he was right. So I hung up my ego and asked for help. And in a matter of a few quick questions and guesses, he’d come up with a very simple Excel spreadsheet designed to keep track of two things: pages and hours. Truly, I don’t care how creatively inclined you are, you can track those two things. And in a spreadsheet, no less.
I started with what I thought was the number of pages an hour I could write, and then my husband halved that number. With that filled in at the top, then I began inputting the numbers of hours I would have each week for writing based on the family calendar. Weeks with school breaks, days with early dismissal, doctor visits, vacations, travel, etc got factored in.
There before my eyes was my schedule. Put in those hours and the pages would add up and at the end I would have a completed manuscript. Believe me, I was utterly suspicious, but for the sake of marital harmony, I did it. Then I began to write. And wow, did I get an eye opener.
Myths Busted
The first book was a shocker. Then over the course of two, probably three books, a definite pattern appeared and I was able to hone it down to where it stands today. I write on average 2.2 pages an hour. That in itself was pretty humbling. And a far cry from the 7 pages I had asserted over that long past dinner out.
And I had busted every myth I had clung to that evening. Here are the two that surprised me the most, and I think they will sound familiar to many writers:
Myth 1. “I work faster at Starbucks.” I do get more pages written per hour when I go out, simply because I take my Alphasmart and have no distractions. But what I discovered is that I always pre-write before I go out. For an hour or so. By the time I sit down at Starbucks, the scene is plotted and blocked and I have all my notes in a row. There is nothing left to do but sit down and efficiently write pages. But I never counted the prewriting hours. And they count. So now I figure planning time into all my writing time.
Myth 2. “I write the last half faster.” Every writer claims this. But you have to look at one thing: a) Are you backloading? Backloading is when instead of spending 20 hours a week writing, as you were when you were writing the first half, you now spend 60 hours a week writing to make your deadline. Well, of course you are going to get the second half done faster when you’ve tripled the writing time. Duh! You aren’t writing faster, you are writing for longer periods of time.
Another thing that I hadn’t factored in was sick time. I have kids and they get sick. And at the most inopportune times in my schedule. So now I build in at least two weeks of sick/emergency time into each Plan, otherwise I found myself cutting into my revision time. And one other thing I never factored into my writing? The pages that I cut. I tend to cut between 25-75 pages from every manuscript I write. And those pages/hours count. So again, I have to contend with those hours that quite honestly are spent writing myself into a corner.
It took me probably two years and three books of using this spreadsheet to drill down to the best estimate of my time and page counts. I kept copious notes when I ran into trouble—and saw patterns of where I get hung up at certain points in every book. Now I anticipate them and find that they aren’t quite as bad as they used to be. For the most part, I stay on track and hit my deadlines. And most importantly, have found a steady rhythm that gives me time for a life outside of writing.
Your Plan
Every writer is going to use this differently. And the best way to develop your plan is to jump in, learn as you go, and realize that you will make mistakes about your estimates. Begin by reviewing your weekly time constraints, input the hours you can commit to and get going. Track your pages and hours and enter them in, either when you finish writing for the day, or at the end of the week. Add notes when you run into unexpected bumps, as these will come in handy in the future with planning the next book.
Most of all, realize that this template is just that: a template. It is not cast in stone. Just because it has 12 weeks of writing in there, doesn’t mean you have to write your book in 12 weeks or less. I certainly don’t. Writing should never be about speed, but working at the pace that allows you to tell your best story and live a rounded life.
This Plan, like any business plan, is a long term investment in being able to estimate professionally how long it will take you to complete a project. And don’t be surprised if you learn a lot about your writing process along the way.
* * *
Thanks, Elizabeth!
RU Crew, what do you think of Elizabeth’s plan? Care to give it a spin? Or, perhaps you have a Plan of you own you’d like to share.
Be sure to join us on Monday for our next sub-genre segment. This time, we’re highlighting Urban Fantasy. Hope to see you there!
Elizabeth’s Bio:
Elizabeth Boyle is the New York Times bestselling author of 18 novels and two novellas. After spending 15 years working as a paralegal and hating having to track billable time, she is back to her old habits and tracking her writing time with as much vigilance.
For more information, visit Elizabeth’s website http://www.elizabethboyle.com.
Kelsey's serving up bite-sized morsels for your noggin on her new 
Hi Elizabeth!
Welcome to RU and thank you for sharing such a personal story. I loved listening to the interaction between you and Terry on the CD. It’s wonderful to have someone in your life who would take such a vested (and active) interest in your success.
Are there any other writing tips you’ve learned along the way that has helped you?
Thanks, Tracey
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | September 24, 2010, 5:34 amThanks, Tracey. So glad to be here. As for tips–I think with any plan you have to approach it with an eye toward trial and error and discovering if it is right for you. This goes with any writing advice. Try it out, give it a spin and if it doesn’t work for you, don’t feel guilty. It just means it doesn’t fit you.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 1:50 pmHi Elizabeth. Welcome to RU. I LOVE THIS SPREADSHEET! I’m guessing Kelsey is going to go into a spreadsheet induced high when she sees it. I just hope she doesn’t collapse. LOL.
I think this is a wonderful way to figure out where the lost hours went. There are days when I sit down and have a plan to get x amount done and by the end of the day I can’t figure out where the time went. I will absolutely try this. Thanks so much!
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | September 24, 2010, 6:52 amIt really does hone in on how much you actually work and the times when you don’t consider yourself working (for me it was note taking hours) and really you are working. Encompassing your entire process and embracing it gives you a wider view of how you work.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 1:51 pmHi Elizabeth,
I heard your workshop on a RWA CD too, and was so impressed with how you were able to work with your dh. My hubby is all about data, charts and graphs too – heck, he wanted me to keep track of son #1′s bm schedule when he was an infant, Pfft, that didn’t happen LOL.
So, after hearing your excellent workshop I was all fired up. I got out my calendar, rearranged my day and did fabulously for about a month. Then I sold my first novella, and spent entirely too much time waiting for (agonizing over) the edits.
Have you ever been in the position where you are working on the first draft of one story, and also have to work on edits for a novel under contract? Does that require alterations to your spreadsheet?
Thanks, RU crew, for yet another excellent guest!
Lu
Posted by Luanna | September 24, 2010, 7:16 amFirst of all, I can sympathize with the data obsessed spouse. He always wants me taking data.
Your point about the work that comes after selling–the revisions, copy edits and page proofs–absolutely have to be worked into your plan. After 18 books, I know exactly how long each is going to take and add those weeks, yes, weeks, into my schedule so their arrival isn’t an unexpected and unpleasant surprise. I know their is some project planner term for doing that, but it escapes me. I add this time at the end of the schedule and then move those weeks up into the actual Plan as they are used.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 1:55 pmMorning Elizabeth!
Oh, I imagine Kelsey is drooling over your spreadsheet..lol…and it’s in color! She’ll be tickled.
I think it’s a brilliant idea…..=) and kudos to your hubby for thinking it up, and for his obvious support! That means a lot!
Question – did you get your back to back books published?
Thanks for the great post Elizabeth….we’re happy to have you here at RU!
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | September 24, 2010, 9:34 amI consider this Plan a piece of marital harmony. He wasn’t so much being helpful (though he likes to think of it that way, as much as it made BOTH of us aware of how much time I spent and needed to work. The problem with being an at home mom and working mom at that, is that your hours tend to be invisible to everyone else. So this helps show progress and the interruptions.
And yes, the back to backs got published in April and May of 2009: Confessions of a Little Black Gown and Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 1:58 pmHi Elizabeth,
This is excellent! I love the “notes” column. I’ve been trying to plan what I could accomplish, but not tracking whether my plan worked or figuring out why. It seems so obvious now that that information is critical.
Thank you so much for sharing the plan and please pass my thanks along to your hubby as well.
Sally Bayless
Posted by Sally Bayless | September 24, 2010, 10:09 amNotes are great for remembering why you got behind, or what helped you stay on track. When you look back a year later and are working on the Plan for the next book, those notes can be a great guide to refining each subsequent Plan.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 1:59 pmElizabeth -
We’re so delighted to have you at RU!
My gals are giving me grief about some of my anal retentive tendencies
. I ask you, what is wrong with a girl who loves spreadsheets and bullets?? I used to be a fundraiser so spreadsheets were often my life and still feel like safe territory to me.
My question is this: You count cut pages in your estimates/timelines, but what about your research? When people talk about how many pages they can write a day, I often wonder how that translates in the pre-writing stage. That’s a huge time suck for me.
Thanks so much,
Kelsey
PS – I do fancy the colors in the spreadsheet and have already downloaded it to my desktop!
Posted by Kelsey Browning | September 24, 2010, 11:57 amWe love your anal tendencies. You keep us organized!
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | September 24, 2010, 12:15 pmThat’s why I think you and Tracey should hire me as your personal assistant!
K-
Posted by Kelsey Browning | September 24, 2010, 1:09 pmAll that time researching ends up getting factored into your hourly page count. While you may actually write at a pretty good clip, say 4-5 pages an hour, but then your research added in drags that down to 2 pages per hour, that isn’t a bad thing. It just says that to complete those 5 pages it takes you X amount of time, including writing and researching and note taking. That is your process. What you are looking for is an overall amount of time, and be able to estimate future projects, not fretting about the hows of getting there. Again, embrace your own process.
I spent a bunch of time this morning naming a bunch of characters. Probably more time than I needed to, but I get really obsessive about finding the right names. I don’t fret anymore about how long it takes because I know I won’t be happy until I get it just so.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 2:04 pmMakes perfect sense, Elizabeth. Thanks. Guess that means I need to try to be a better time tracker
.
Kels
Posted by Kelsey Browning | September 24, 2010, 8:36 pmWow. Proof positive that bean counters are good people.
This is so helpful.
Posted by Cassie Corcoran | September 24, 2010, 12:28 pm
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 2:04 pmWhat a fantastic post! As a writer, I’m very aware of the days when I make my word/page count. I do plot/outline my stories ahead of time and that really helps keep the writing on track. What I learned about myself as a writer this year is my body’s bio rhythms. There are weeks or months during the year that I absolutely can’t write because my brain is fatigued. These need to be taken into account as well and I had to learn to tell myself that’s okay too.
Best wishes for future books (which I love your books btw)
Posted by Sandi Sookoo | September 24, 2010, 2:18 pmI just know that summer vacation when the kids are out and the Christmas holidays are just not for writing. At least not now.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 9:27 pmWhat a great post and yet another super tool for keeping us on track. A fellow writer gave me her spreadsheet which has a pie chart visual. I’ve never had revisions go so quickly…gobble up more of the pie!
There are so many other aspects of writing, besides writing. Thinking, drafting, revising, editing, even formatting. We’re silly to ignore these and when we do…there goes a balanced day of writing, life and mother/wife as we play catch up.
I’d be interested to know how many weeks it does take you from beginning to polished MS.
Thanks! Loved the “Dress” books.
Stephanie
Posted by Stephanie | September 24, 2010, 6:33 pmTotally depends on the book. And it is never a matter of weeks, but months–at least 8-9.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 24, 2010, 9:29 pmElizabeth and everyone–
Thanks so much for a fabulous discussion. I really enjoyed learning more about everyone’s process.
Take care,
Tracey
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | September 25, 2010, 4:31 pmA belated thanks for your post, Elizabeth! I have a spreadsheet that I use and it keeps me in line because the numbers never lie. And I love the tip about the 2 weeks of emergency time – I would also include “I just can’t face it today” time for me!
Posted by Robin Covington | September 25, 2010, 6:01 pmI couldn’t put that sort of time in, since I am always on deadline. I have to work, it isn’t a choice, it’s a job. Emergencies are one thing, but
“I don’t feel like it” just doesn’t cut it, at least not for me, and definitely not with my husband. That’s what weekends are for.
Posted by Elizabeth Boyle | September 27, 2010, 4:04 pm